There’s no doubt Josh Hader is going to land the largest contract of any reliever this offseason. The more interesting question is whether he’ll establish a new high-water mark for bullpen arms.
Edwin Díaz became the first reliever to cross the nine-figure threshold. The right-hander re-signed with the Mets on a five-year, $102MM pact shortly before free agency opened during the 2022-23 offseason. (Deferrals reduced the contract’s valuation for luxury tax purposes to a little above $93MM.) That set a clear target for Hader’s camp.
Andy Martino of SNY wrote last week that teams engaged with Hader believe he’s shooting for that record. It makes for an interesting comparison between the two pitchers. Díaz was a year younger than Hader is now. The former was going into his age-29 season, while the latter turns 30 not long after Opening Day.
Hader has been a little better from a run prevention perspective. In 388 2/3 career innings, he owns a 2.50 ERA. Díaz had a 2.93 mark over 399 1/3 frames entering free agency (which is still the case because he missed the 2023 season after injuring his knee celebrating a triumph in the World Baseball Classic). While Hader showed a willingness to work multiple innings early in his career, he made clear that he preferred to occupy a single-inning role in recent seasons. Their overall body of work is about the same, while their platform-year ERAs are quite similar.
Díaz allowed a 1.31 ERA over 62 innings in 2022; Hader surrendered 1.28 earned runs per nine through 56 1/3 frames a year ago. There’s very little difference between those two numbers, although Hader probably has the more impressive figure when placed in league context. The league average ERA for relievers jumped from 3.86 to 4.17, likely reflecting both a somewhat livelier ball and rule changes implemented over the 2022-23 offseason (i.e. shift limitations) designed to tilt the game more toward offense.
Of course, there’s far more to a pitcher’s performance than keeping runs off the board. That’s particularly true for relievers, whose numbers can be skewed greatly by one poor outing (or simply a subpar defense). Díaz is probably more dominant on a pitch-for-pitch basis. While Hader has the slight edge in career strikeout rate, his approximate 37% mark in each of the past two seasons are his lowest since his rookie year. That’s still an elite number, to be clear, but it’s well shy of the laughable 50.2% of hitters whom Díaz fanned in 2022.
Opponents swung through nearly a quarter of all pitches that Díaz threw in his platform year. Hader’s 15.6% swinging strike percentage from last season was “merely” excellent, the 18th-highest rate in MLB among pitchers with 50+ innings. Díaz’s mark not only led the majors in 2022, it was three percentage points clear of second-place Andrés Muñoz. Díaz also throws a bit harder. He averaged north of 99 MPH on his fastball and nearly 91 MPH on his slider. Hader’s 96 MPH fastball and 86 MPH slider are more conventional velocity figures, although they’ve each proven almost unhittable.
The Padres made Hader a qualifying offer. New York re-signed Díaz before the deadline to make the QO but surely would have done so if they hadn’t agreed to a long-term deal. The Mets knew that re-signing Díaz was waiving their ability to collect the draft compensation they’d have received if he departed, which was presumably factored into the contract price.
Unlike the Mets, San Diego seems content to take the compensatory pick. The Padres have cut payroll and suggested they’re not going to spend at the top of the market. There haven’t been many suitors to emerge publicly. The Orioles were linked to Hader early in the offseason. They signed Craig Kimbrel to a $13MM deal and now profile as a long shot for a top-of-the-market relief splash. Teams like the Yankees, Dodgers and Rangers have been mentioned as speculative fits but without firm ties. Joel Sherman of the New York Post suggested this morning the Mets weren’t likely to be in on Hader.
Hader is one of the three to five best relievers in the sport. His camp has surely received calls that have gone unreported. Yet it’s a little surprising there haven’t been more public revelations on his market.
How will things play out? Will Hader top Díaz and where will he end up?
Dodgers should sign him. Why should any other team be allowed to sign anybody?
Player Haders
@Shadow_Banned – Nicely done. Nicely done indeed.
Exactly. Dodgers will sign the rest of the FA market.
The Dodgers are going to have the curse of the winter, they get bumped in the playoffs again!
It will be the curse of Game 1 Kershaw.
They miss the playoffs entirely when injuries strike like they did the Mets.
Yeah, if they couldn’t win with Seager and Turner up the middle, with everyone else they had, they definitely don’t have it in the bag with injury prone Ohtani.
Why even put the Orioles on this list? Their owner has shouted to the world he is not spending big money.
The Dodgers should sign him. Or the Rangers.
Like Hader a lot, but 20+ and over 100m for an RP is a lot of loot. For what? Maybe 70 innings.
Might as well. To many stars sometimes can work against you. But good luck.
He’s going to sign for just under 100mil with the Dodgers.
yeah but at least 75mil will be deferred
I suspect you’re hating, but I’ll defer my response.
900 million years at seven cents per year.
He won’t sign.
Nobody else will sign.
It’s load management mlb style, they won’t have to do spring trading if they sign in March.
Hader and Bellinger had a nice run. They are just gonna retire or take a year off and try the market next season.
They’re gonna pull a Michael Conforto… although I think he had an injury in 2022.
What’s taking the doyers so long to get a signature? Probably negotiating deferrals…
Phillies or Rangers
Hader > Montgomery in my view
Look at the win probability added (sure, it’s not entirely fair, but the team has been like 15 games below their Pythagorean win loss record the last 2 years combined).
I think it’s the Rangers. They likely won’t give enough to Montgomery and they’ll pivot to Hader. The Phillies have a lot of money tied up and their manager likes the bullpen to have fluidity and no anointed closer. And they like guys that can throw multiple innings, neither of which fit Hader. They’ll probably play in the sandbox with guys like Hicks/Stephenson or 1 year low AAV with incentive deals for guys who have closed in the past like Neris or Stanek.
The only problem is Texas loses the 2nd and 3rd round picks for Hader instead of just a 2nd round pick since they exceeded the spending threshold last year.
Flags fly forever and their farm system is already loaded they miss out on a yr
The traditional “closer” as we know it is evolving.
Like the Philllies, more and more teams are deplyoing their best relivers according to the highest leverage spot late in the game rather than saving them or the 9th.
If Hader is not willing to be felixible in that regard, I fear that he will his potential suitors will diminish, hence the demand, and in turn the contract value.
Besides, someone already said it here, spending 20Mil+ on a relvier doesn’t seem like a wise investment given how volitale they can be.
Rangers won’t be signing any big tickets this year. Sorry, but there’s this TV contract thing.
Phillies = hard pass
Link them as much as you want, but he doesn’t fit what Philly does bullpen-wise. Sure they can adapt, but 21 mil for a guy who “won’t” pitch before the 9th, won’t go more than an inning and bristles when he pitches in a non save situation = hard pass.? Not exactly a guy who’ll fit in with what Topper deploys.
Nothing against the guy, go get your bag – just not in Philly.
How about 21 million a year for 5 years, but deferred to a tax NPV of 15 MM a year?
Rangers will miss out on Montgomery and use those funds towards Hader. Bullpen was a big issue for them last season
Hader won’t break $100 million, but he could very well break the average yearly mark that Diaz got last winter.
If all he cares about is breaking the 102 million then he can just have a portion of the money deferred. It’s the new “record contract” way.
I personally don’t see spending 20+ million on a reliever as wise, especially one who only wants to work one inning at that.
It’s one really really good inning
I think for the right team it makes sense. Has to be a big payroll team for sure.
Yeah but is he 10 million dollars a season more valuable than Jordan Hicks? I don’t think so. You have to have a lead to preserve it. Also, a really good manager with a handful of good arms can manage a 9th inning more often than not just by orchestrating proper match ups.
A closer is a luxury, 20 million a season for a luxury is ridiculous.
Josh Hader 32 saves, 5 blown saves
Adbert Alzolay 22 saves 3 blown
Cubs perspective, if you have three righties coming up, throw Alzolay. 2/3 lefties, toss Little, you’ll have similar effectiveness as Hader at a 17 million dollar savings and you get two innings of work vs one.
I am a Cardinals fan so I know all about Hicks. He’s a much bigger risk both in health and performance. Sure Hicks could be a better value for the contract they sign but he’s much riskier.
It’s gotta be the right team. The Rangers make sense. They need pen help and already have a good team. But Hader doesn’t make sense for most teams at all. Maybe the Cubs but I think they got too many other needs.
And yeah, he will get paid. He makes sense for the O’s really. They have more than enough space in their budget due to their low cost players.
Hader has to wait because teams are building their “core” if they have the money to spend on a luxury then they will consider him, like the Cubs and Kimbrel several years ago.
Makes sense for the Yankees/Dodgers as teams would do not care about luxury tax at all or a team coming out of a rebuild with a lot of wiggle room.
If the Cubs sign Hader, it would be incredibly stupid. They have a lot of holes as is and much bigger needs.
I have a feeling the Cubs will be willing to go over the luxury tax this year but they will not operate there for more than a couple seasons. Hader would hinder them on anything longer than a 3 year deal.
I think the Rangers would be wise to hold in place next year, maybe reevaluate at the trade deadline but my focus would be ducking below the LT and giving young players a chance to play vs trying to win two in a row.
I see it all too often, deep playoff runs have negative effects on players the following year with the longer playoffs and shorter off season. Play the long con. Also, has the Rangers and Diamond worked things out yet?
Orioles won’t spend that kind of money on anyone let alone a closer.
Heck everyone makes sense for the Dodgers.
Yankees maybe but they need starting pitching.
I really think Rangers make the most sense but at the end of the day it seems like he will take the biggest contract offered.
I don’t think the Cubs will sign him but maybe. It would be hard to go get an outfielder starter and a corner infielder though if they did. The Cubs will spend but they do have a lot of needs to fill.
No, the O’s won’t but they should. He would have been a wiser investment than Kimbrel. They have the space money wise and in three years, they could have dealt him away being that closers are always in demand.
Cubs priority is a big bat, most likely at first or Bellinger. CF isn’t the biggest priority which is why they are playing chicken with Bellie. Even if PCA cannot hit, he can field as good if not better than anyone in the league. Tauchman is due back, Canario can play center as well. Second priority is either another bat, depending on who the first bat is and a starter. Like I said, I don’t like spending big money on a closer and I think Alzolay is more than capable. I’d sign Robertson or Hicks
The Yankees need so much, it’s almost comical how much they have spent and still have so many needs. Cashman still thinks it’s the early 2000’s but that’s cool, Soto and Judge will put on a show, hit a ton of solo home runs.
I don’t love the Cardinals moves this offseason. I like getting ride of ONeil, I think their offense will be better next year but I think Giolito made more sense than Lynn and Gibson. A top 4 of Gray, Giolito, Matz and Mikolas is pretty formidable. I get Lynn, given that St Louis isn’t a home run prone park but Giolito has more upside.
Yeah I forgot about Tauchman Cubs really don’t need an outfielder. Cassie should he getting a call soon as well.
Getting rid of ONeill is going to be a big factor in Marmol getting fired so I like that. ONeill is a good player who the organization treated poorly. I don’t like the Lynn and Gibson signings but there is a huge difference between the team options that Lynn and Gibson have for 2025 as opposed to the player option Giolito has. I don’t like the Giolito contract at all. I would have signed Montas and hoped he was back and performed well.
On the right team, with the right defense, I’d have a ton of faith in Giolito.
Unfortunately for him, his agent boned him big time! Bad division to be worried about home run, bad defense and a bad ballpark.
Pitching in St Louis, great defense, home run forgiving ballpark, plus having Wrigley (home run neutral) Pittsburg (pitcher friendly) would have been good for him. Yeah you still have Milwaukee and Cincinnati but with the balanced schedule you only have to play there twice.
O’s aren’t going to upset the pay structure. That’s not how they want to spend their money. Yankees don’t really need him. Angels don’t like giving long term deals to pitchers. Toronto doesn’t need a closer. Rangers are stepping back due to TV contract. Boston is rumored to be not wanting to pay their current closer. LAD seem to be going all in, so they are possible. Giants just want to sign a name FA, so they are possible.
Cardinals defense isn’t all that great. I just don’t like that player option nonsense. If he sucks the Red Sox are stuck with him in 2025 if he’s good he’s gone.
Cubs should sign a starter. Need a decent number 2 starter. I could see the Cubs making a big trade for either Cease or Bieber.
Well they just signed Imanaga
I kinda think the Angels could sign him. What the Angels have done in the past hasn’t worked so they might try something new. They should have the money to spend. Haders really a tough one to predict where he goes. Maybe he goes to the Rockies it’s just hard to say.
Wow alright then
You don’t like the Cardinal defense? Arenado, Goldie and Edman in the infield. I don’t know anything about Gorman.
Outfield may have taken a hit recently. I used to hate freaking Bader so much! Every time I would think “oh it’s going to drop” and Bader comes running in from out of frame.
I wonder if they put Walker in the DH spot or if they have faith in him in the outfield… also wonder if they shouldn’t give him more time in the corners and give Goldie and Arenado a few days off from time to time.
Yes it’s hard to complain about the Bader trade because the Cardinals got Montgomery but losing Bader screwed up the outfield defense. Nootbaar is good but isn’t playing right where he belongs. Walker is terrible he’s a huge problem. Edman is ok in center. Scott is coming soon he will help defensively he’s super fast. Arenado is a concern he was hurt last year he needs to bounce back. Gorman is average at best at 2b. Winn at short is good but he’s still learning. Contreras I like but he’s a bit below average.
I won’t kick Contreras while he’s down but I never liked that signing for the Cards.
I kind of thought the Cardinals weee going to get in on Kiermaier honestly. I thought they would reposition the defense to be stronger, especially at center.
I hate it for Walker, dude can flat out hit but he was thrown to the wolves last year. Here, go play this position you’re not familiar with so the fans can hate you.
Contreras is a good teammate and good Cardinal. I am more than happy with him.
Yes Kiermaier would have made sense for 2023. Now Winn is the shortstop and Edman is the center fielder.
Fans don’t hate Walker most are blind to the fact he’s so terrible on defense. It’s not his fault he was starting on opening day but that was a bad decision. I hope he’s been practing…..
Inflation, inflation, inflation.
Seriously. If we spent all the revenue earned and spent from baseball toward our national debt, our nation might be rich again.
Okay, maybe not, but you get the point.
Evidently, every US citizen would now owe a little over $101,000 to pay off the debt. Pretty sure it was $16,000 about 30 years ago.
Tax revenue is about 3 trillion a year. We would have to even spending with tax revenue and then double it to pay off the debt in a little over 10 years. That is never happening unless the US prints money and inflates to infinity and beyond country (see 1946 Hungary ) investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/122915/…
Yep. I didn’t want to get into the politics involved, but we’ve really got to work together and buckle down. Can’t get there with just deep cuts, nor with steep tax increases. Would be nice to stop polarizing each other and work toward mutual benefit for all.
@kripes-brewers – yes, but that makes sense and therefore will not be used.
People love to hate each other and it’s in our nature sadly. Personally, I’ve lost more “friends” being an independent trying to see the psotives in both sides simply because I won’t “hate” one side or the other. Pretty sad TBH.
But yes, a topic for another forum.
Yeah, like there were ever plans to pay it off.
Those future people takin our jerbs!
How do you still remember that episode?
Uhhh I’m pretty sure baseball players and teams are paying taxes. Maybe if everyone could throw 99 mph, we could pay the debt off . Debt to GDP is 130%. So it’s not terrible see Japan for example of bad.
Someone will pay him over 100M and then eventually refret ir.
I have no idea about refret ir. They may regret it though.
Someone will buy a vintage guitar, name it “ir,” and eventually refret ir.
Not sure why anyone is voting for the Giants lol, they aren’t about to spend 100 Million on a closer when Doval is there.
I think it’s the “well we did something” mind set if they don’t sign a big name like Snell or Bellinger. I don’t think is going to happen either but heck, $100 million to pitch the 8th inning does sound so bad.
Because they just want to sign a big name FA, just to say they did! No one seems to want their money.
This signing has Oakland written all over it
5 year $100 Million with $100 Million deferred until 2099 and $20 Million due to the Oakland A’s upfront.
99,710,710/5
Aav 19,942,142
Cubs (because they need to do something before Friday.
I voted Cubs, but who knows what Hoyer does. I know I wouldn’t mind him, saw plenty of him when he was a Brewer. Alzolay can be the 8th inning guy.
That’s a dynamite setup!!
I feel like teams would be in a lot more on him if he even just went 4 outs a few times over the last few years. Not willing to go 1+ just raises a red flag for me.
Deferrals on Diaz’s contract make me wonder if Texas can do the same and “break the record” while not taking mich of a tax hit. Give him 5/105 with an accounting NPV of 5/80 or something. Win- win!
No relievers worth it, but Fools will bite on a lower amount
Hader won’t have enough big spenders bidding on him to break Diaz record contract. He will likely settle for a higher AAV deal with opt-outs. My hope is that he reunites w/manager Craig Counsell and signs with the Cubs but fear he will ink a deal with the Dodgers like most of the elite free agents this offseason. ⚾️
It won’t be my Pads, so I’m hoping he goes “home” and signs with the Orioles.
Unlikely with Kimbrel already there.
Agreed, IMI. Wishful thinking on my part.
Beyond being a good story, I really think it’d be a mutually beneficial situation. He’d continue to thrive as an O and potentially go into the Hall as one, imho. Be a nice story for the fans, too… but it comes at a premium price. I would have liked to see the O’s get a TOR guy, so maybe they’ll splurge on Snell or Monty? That’d be sweet (as a not-so-closeted O’s fan!) More wishful thinking though, I.M. Sure of that
Long term deals for relievers are nearly universally a bad investment. Any team that signs Hader is taking on massive risk.
I’d take him on the Dodgers but not for 100 million. I wouldn’t even give him 80 million.
Important question: Are we asking about nominal value or accounting Net Present Value? I would go over on the nominal, but with heavy deferrals.
why are the yankees 3rd on the poll. The yankees already have the bullpen depth and aren’t spending 20mil annually on a reliever when their payroll is already high. i don’t want him
He will sign with the Red Sox for 6 years at $17m per year with a club option for a 7th year at $18m or an $8m buy out making it a 6 year guaranteed deal for $110 and potentially making it a 7 year deal for $120m deal.
Let’s be honest, half of those Dodger votes are troll votes.. and they’re absolutely beautiful
Breaking news Pittsburgh Pirates sign, Josh Hader
@Juggy
…to minor league deal.
@Old Yok – HA! Gtood one Sir!
Bob Nutting steals ketchup packets from Wendy’s do he doesn’t have to buy bottles.
When somebody asks for bottled water, Bob Nutting instructs them to open their mouths and then spits in them for hydration.
I guess we now know why all those papertowels are hanging out to dry at PNC Park.
As a Boras client, I would be shocked if he doesn’t break the $102MM mark. Now, that may be ever so slightly, but Boras typically gets teams to acquiesce to his desired goal.
No idea who he will go to, but I’m confident it won’t be the Yankees.
Would you prefer Cashman to build a super bullpen with other relievers such as Jordan Hicks?
why sign a good reliever when you can create one for almost nothing? The yankees are known to turn mid relievers into solid pieces. Take for example Clay Holmes, Peralta, Ian Hamilton, Michael king, and basically most of their bullpen
I do think Cashman will do exactly that if he cannot acquire a TOR arm, Acoss. As for my preference, I’m reluctant to trust completely in Cashman’s ability to make up for a TOR arm (enough to advance in the playoffs) with ‘pen pieces. Boone burns them out every year by about mid-season and they can’t stay healthy anyway. So, I’d prefer starting pitcher(s) because that’s our weakest link right now.
Buyer beware, he is a great closer (most of the time) but he refuses to pitch multiple consecutive games and will complain about pitching in non-save situations.
Cubs have Alzolay so he can come in to close when Hader isn’t available. Good to know thank you for that bit of information!
Most closers complain about the same thing.
As far as Cubs closers go, Kimbrel was only a 9th inning guy, don’t remember him going 4+ outs, could be wrong so please correct me if it isn’t do. Aroldis Chapman in 2016, I only remember him being used in multiple innings in the playoffs.
Remember when the Brewers traded him and he was unfixable. Good times.
1. No.
2. I picked Phillies in the contest so I’ll stick with that pick.
Hey Clipper. The only way I see NY getting involved with Hader is if they wiff on every one of the 5 or 6 starters they’ve been linked to. I was leaning toward Bieber because of prospect cost and pitching for the biggest payday of his life but I just read that his velocity is down each of the past 3 years and he missed a bunch of time with an elbow issue. Idk which guy is the best fit.
No idea why a bunch of people chose the Angels. There’s zero chance he ends up there. Moreno isn’t known for signing relievers to multi year contracts.
I dunno why, but i chose the blue jays.
They have Estevez anyway.
Lol So the Jay’s are trading Romano now?
He’s going to be better off going the short term, high AAV route. I bet a lot more teams would bite at 3 years/63mil with two option years at 20mil each.
Angels definitely need him, but not for 100mil
4-84mil with opt outs
He’s going to have a similar career to Lincecum. Throws way too hard and will blow out his arm after a certain amount of time and only last in the majors for a short duration
He’s been in the bigs seven years and counting
The Mariners need a closer, but they won’t even think of signing him
Adelaide Giants
Hicks is not only is the better value, but also more versatile. He can close if needed and can be used to set up as well. Their FG and Steamer projections are basically the same with Hader barely having the edge on k%
Won’t be the Giants, Melvin had his fill of the Hader experience last year.
1.4 billion over 7 years to the dodgers. 1.3999 billion deferred and paid from 2089-2097 in waffle house gift cards and Reading Railroad stock options. And he always gets the shoe should he want to use it.
I think Camilo Doval is overrated. Maybe he’ll develop even more. Money is a big deal here. Harder:expensive. Doval: not so much. CD loses command at times. Remembering Giants loss to Dodgers to end Giants 2021 postseason. Also, tail end of last season. Also, Patrick Bailey. Throw overhand on steal attempts.
“There’s very little difference between those two numbers, although Hader probably has the more impressive figure when placed in league context.”
I disagree. Diaz was much more impressive, imo. 17.1 k/9, 2.6 BB/9, 6.56/ K/BB, 0.90 FIP, 0.839 WHIP, 4.9 H/9. Hader: 13.6 K/9, 2.83 K/BB, 4.8 BB/9, 2.69 FIP, 1.101 WHIP, 5.1 H/9. I guess ‘in league context’ is doing some heavy lifting but Diaz’s 297 ERA+ is pretty close to Hader’s 321.
All that said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Hader’s contract exceeds Diaz’s. Contracts have gone up quite a bit and aside from one season (when he was going through personal stuff), Hader has an excellent track record.
Dodgers. Why not?
I smell character issues. If Hader’s past twitter issues and hints of not being a “team player” have even remotely been linked to a player, I gotta the think the Dodgers are going to be overly cautious.
This Dodgers team is spending to win NOW. They may as well go all in. I don’t care as long as he doesn’t land in Philly.
Come down to Josh Hader’s Market, your neighborhood purveyor of fresh farm produce
Dodgers Hader $1m per season and $99M deferred. Better do it before CA finds a way to tax that deferred $$
I think you will see them change the length of time on that. From what I read, if the money is deferred more than 10 years, it doesn’t get taxed. They’re missing out on taxes from like $650 million just from Ohtani alone. I bet next legislative session, they either push the years out or remove that stipulation entirely.
We need a real dark horse here. Let’s reboot this poll and all vote for Colorado.
HA! Monfort and his goons might be the only folks cheaper than OAK or PIT. The guy is in one of the fastest growing markets in the USA and cries like the steel mills left town. At least Pittsburgh has a just reason (to an extent).
I live in Denver. I feel bad for Rockies fans and they deserve much better for the market they are in and the loyal fanbase they are. Every game in that beatuiful park is an away game for those folks.
Give me Robert Stephenson or Jordan Hicks at a fraction of the price. Giving $100 million to a reliever just doesn’t seem very smart to me, no matter how good he is. Even the best of the best can drop off quickly or struggle with consistency.
He will be signing with the Diamondbacks.
I talked to him today.
More importantly, how’s he feeling? He had the sniffles when I spoke to him a few days ago…
Red Sox should sign him and trade Jansen
Dodgers will sign him for 105MM and then defer 103 of it.
Orioles should have signed Hader. He played high school ball just down the road from Camden Yards. But they opted for the wing man instead. What a shame one of the most profitable teams in the majors and showed no interest in the local star.
Have felt Hader is the missing piece for the Rangers all offseason
Phillies have needed a reliable closer forever.
They aren’t missing much.
Makes sense to push all of their chips in.
If the Mets had Hader, I’d run out to get his jersey the next day. Hes one of my top 5 favorite players in the sports. Hes easily the best reliever in the game, and its not close. A lefty closer like him is what every team should be striving for. I’d rather the Mets sig him
over Yamamoto any day of the week
Rangers lost Will Smith and need a strong 9th inning option, especially with all their good starting pitching out til mid-season
Rangers need to go after Hader and Moore/Hicks.
Then either Montgomery/Clevinger/Bauer.
Remember when the Brewers traded him and he was unfixable. Good times.
signs with the crew for $50 million and a lifetime supply of free miller lite
Haders refusal to enter a game in the 8th because he is a “closer” and only pitches the 9th keeps him off my team. I have no room for a selfish prima donna like him.
I think there will be several “big name” free agents who end up signing short-term deals with a much higher AAV similar to what Teo Hernandez did with the LAD. It’s been a very odd off-season so far in terms of free agency signings, and with several teams dealing with financial difficulties due to TV rights and what not I think it’s caused the FA market to be at a stand still. And bc of that, I think some of the guy’s who were expecting big multi-year deals may end up having to wait a year or 2 for that and will end up signing 1-2 year deals with higher AAV’s. And I think that will help the bigger market teams to be able to sign some of the bigger name FA who are still available. I may be wrong, but I think we’re going to see several more guy’s take deals like Hernandez did to play for a WS favorite team in the LAD and hit the open market again next off season. Lucas Giolito did something similar with BOS, basically a 1-yr deal with PLAYER OPTION for the 2nd.